Science Founders is a nonprofit open library and peer-mentor community for scientists, engineers, and deep-tech founders building real companies. We publish free guides, templates, grant examples, and operating resources — and run a private Slack Community where founders trade hard-won lessons under the Chatham House Rule.
Science-based founders face some of the most complex challenges in developing technology, getting to market, and operating real businesses. Everything published here is free and openly accessible. The Slack Community is the place to go when written materials aren't enough and you need peer feedback, warm context, or someone who's been through the same problem.
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A practical, low-cost setup guide for first-time founders. Walks through forming a Delaware C-Corp, getting an EIN, picking the right launch documents and accounting stack, and avoiding the common mistakes — with a real $500 budget breakdown (Bizee + Cloudflare + TurboTax + business email) and notes on free hosting via Cloudflare Pages.
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A primer on the SBIR/STTR process for climate-tech focused founders. This presentation has been given in talks and workshops across the startup ecosystem helping founders or would-be founders understand the complexities of the SBIR/STTR process. Evan Taylor provides insights from a track record of $30M+ awarded across EERE / BETO / ARPA-E / SBIR programs at DOE, DOT, and USDA over the last 8 years — including 11+ awarded SBIR proposals and a 75%+ DOE success rate as a co-investigator and commercialization-development cofounder.
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A curated directory of where to find open SBIR/STTR funding opportunity announcements across the major U.S. federal research agencies — DOE, DOD, NSF, NIH, NASA, EPA, USDA, NOAA, DOT and the military service branches. Includes the SAM.gov registration prerequisite and supporting references on Manufacturing and Technology Readiness Levels.
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A best-practices setup guide for the accounts, identifiers, and team workflows you need before your first SBIR, STTR, or research-grant submission. Covers the shared grants@ inbox, SAM.gov / UEI / CAGE, Login.gov, ORCID, NIH SciENcv (auto-generating BioSketches and Current & Pending Support), DOE PAMS' brutal lockout behavior, and the Adobe-Acrobat-required PDF forms that quietly corrupt in macOS Preview.
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Redacted copies of successfully awarded Department of Energy Phase I and Phase II/IIB proposals — narratives, market opportunity sections, and commercialization plans. Includes Letter of Commitment templates, Letter of Support examples, and Letter of Intent examples to help founders structure their own proposals. All personally identifying information and proprietary IP has been removed.
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Worker classification (W-2 exempt vs non-exempt vs 1099), the narrow lane for contractors in a lab environment, and the OSHA / SDS / hazard-communication compliance that comes with running an R&D facility. Includes load-bearing rules already (lab techs are almost always non-exempt, 1099 rarely fits sample-prep work); fuller hiring & management material is in progress for later this summer.
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The follow-on to The $500 Founder Guide. Picks up where formation ends — SAM.gov / UEI / CAGE registration, going after your first SBIR or grant, lab and general-liability insurance, hiring your first employee, IP assignments, and federal-contracting basics. In progress; subscribe to the Slack to be notified when it lands.
See what's coming →Practical documents founders can adapt — Company Facts sheets, Letters of Commitment, Letters of Support, grant proposal templates, pro formas, employee handbooks, and other operating docs. All released under commercially permissive licenses.
Science Founders exists because too much startup knowledge is locked behind accelerators, paid advisors, and closed networks. Our goal is to make practical, founder-tested materials freely available — so the next generation of deep-tech founders can spend less time hunting for answers and more time building.
The private Slack Community is available for founders who need peer feedback, warm context, or practical help beyond the guides. It's a working community of science-based founders and operators, run under community principles including the Chatham House Rule.